Beeline Home

I found myself perusing Interior Designer Bunny Williams' product line, Beeline Home, this afternoon and was pleasantly greeted by pretty things. 

I'll start with what may be my favorite piece, the Bottoms Up table. I LOVE the unique shape with the perfect deep gold finish and ivory top - this would pair beautifully beside ANY arm chair, modern and traditional.

How fun is this little stool? The Red Tape Bench also comes in a longer, rectangular shape. 

The Hourglass table, which also comes in a silver-leaf finish, is a true show-stopper. It is both bold and elegant, just like I would like to be. :)

And gosh, do I love all the nailhead detail on the Nailhead sofa! To me, it's modern with French flair and tres chic!

Should I be surprised that these were my favorite photos in Bunny Williams' portfolio?! It took me a second to clue in, but sure enough they're FULL of my Beeline favs! Those brown and gold Nailhead sofas are to die for.

  

Backless Sectionals, Yes or No?

 We've been running into images of sectionals with backless sections lately and have to ask if they appeal to you? Most of the time a client requests, or we suggest, a sectional sofa it is purely for function - LOTS OF SEATING! (Ok, or a man designing his man cave where bigger is always better. hehe) So, what gives?! Would you choose to add a massive sectional to your home, and then turn around and choose one that doesn't provide maximum space for cozy snuggles and movie-watching goodness?

I do like this room, and don't mind the sectional in here, but I'm not sure what that corner unit is good for other than perhaps keeping a nice and open line of sight into the seating area...

 {via Elle Decor}

I would hate to be the person stuck sitting without a back on this sectional, unless I was looking to work my core muscles...

{via Unknown}

So, what are you thoughts? Backless sectionals, in your opinion are they are YES or NO?

{via Crate & Barrel}

{via HitDecors}

{via Jensen-Lewis}

Stool for a Steal

I needed a new stool to sit beside my daughter's glider and remembered reading about an inexpensive garden stool facelift on Southern Exposure (one of my favorite blogs!). After reading about Big Lots selling stools for $20, I decided it was time to check that place out. I had never been in before, and have to say, there are some treasures to be uncovered in there!

I wanted to go with a colorful stool for my daughter's room, and this is what I now have...

...but it didn't always look so pretty 'n' pink - although, that's where the steal of the century comes in! The stools were on clearance for $10 but the catch was they were bright blue and all had minor scratches. No problem! I already knew I'd likely want to customize the color. I lugged my in-need-of-love stool to the cash register and was shocked when it was...

...$5.44! What!?! If you want a garden stool, RUN to Big Lots pronto!

Next I stopped at Home Depot and picked up some Rust-Oleum berry pink glossy spray paint and got to work! (ps. there are so many fun spray paint colors out there - I was really impressed!)

One can of paint covered well, but the stool needed a light sanding with 320 grit sand paper and was definitely NOT glossy enough for my liking...

I ran out and picked up a can of Valspar's Hi-gloss lacquer and after one good coat the stool was looking sleek and shiny, just like I wanted! I totally recommend this product - it covered really well and dried perfectly smooth (and they specifically mention it is safe for all households as it's non-toxic once dry).

This stool was definitely meant to be pink! 

GEORGE Projects: 28th Street

Last week I posted a few before pics and a presentation image from our 28th Street project and here are the furnishings our clients have decided on along with their sources, as promised.

{Sorry it's quite hard to read - definitely 'click' to make it bigger!}

Moving clock-wise from the top...

1. Drapery fabric, Raoul Textile's Miramar in Persimmon

2. Custom x-stools in a persimmon colored linen

3. Crate & Barrel, Meryl floor lamp

4. Pottery Barn, Stacked Crystal table lamp

5. Crate & Barrel, Moreno nesting tables

6. Pottery Barn, Heathered Chenille Jute rug

7. Bassman-Blaine, Costello stool in Vintage Brass

8. Ballard Designs, Gramercy chair

9. Sectional fabric, Pindler's Raffia in Honey

GEORGE Projects: 28th Street

We want to share another project that we've been working on over the last month! Our clients are a great Hermosa Beach couple who are looking to update their main living space...

They were looking to lighten and brighten the space, and keep the room feeling beach casual - after all, they are just steps from the sand! In addition, this room is used frequently for book club gatherings and hanging out with visiting grandchildren, and thus the primary concern for this space was seating. With a large, built-in media cabinet taking up one whole corner, three doorways and three windows, meeting their seating requirement for six to eight was going to take some good planning - especially because they were hoping not to include the isolated window bench as seating. Lastly, wall color and art were to stay.

Emily found this gorgeous, beachy linen from Raoul Textiles, (Miramar in Persimmon), and that was where we started. We love how the pale yellow ties perfectly with the existing wall color and how the persimmon blends well with the wood finish color which is so prominent in the room. Also, while this pattern does feature sand dollars and shells, the beach motifs are subtle and sophisticated...

{By changing this room's color scheme from a complimentary scheme to an analogous scheme, we're making the room have more continuity with the architectural finishes of the house.}

We got busy and here's an image from our presentation...

And the finished floor plan...

The custom wedge sectional sofa provides ample seating for five, the upholstered side chair brings us up to six (the number required for family gatherings), and the two custom ottomans can be pushed in front of the media cabinet when the book club commences. Yay, we made it to eight!

Once all of the furniture components have been finalized by our clients we will reveal them and their sources, and of course, we can't wait to show you the finished before and after!

Saara's Fav......

...the Saarinen table!

I'm sure I'm not alone with this one, and would be happy with any variety - but the white marble top holds a special place in my heart...

I love the wood veneered option for the right room too...

Then again, sticking with simple white is always a good choice too! Oh, the options!

I'm seriously thinking about buying one of these for our kitchen table. But, of course, I have no idea what to do! I REALLY can't afford a Knoll table and have been looking for good-looking reproductions. Here's the dilemma, do I go with the more economical simple white option, or save a bit and scout-out a marble-topped option? 

These tables look GREAT with EVERY style imaginable, and are TIMELESS!

{unknown}

{decorpad}

{houzz}

{tom scheerer}

{timothy whealon?}

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{tom scheerer}

"The underside of typical chairs and tables makes a confusing, unrestful world, I wanted to clear up the slum of legs." 

- Finnish designer Eero Saarinen. Design Year: 1956

Flea Market Finds

This sunday we took my husband's parents, who were in town from Toronto, to Pasadena. They had never visited this adorable little town complete with its beautiful tree-lined streets, gorgeous old houses, and fun FLEA MARKETS!

Unfortunately, they aren't in town next weekend for the huge Rose Bowl Flea Market, so we tried out the Pasadena City College Flea Market. Although it was smaller and lacked the charm of being held around the famous Rose Bowl, this flea market was still lots of fun and had great treasures to be found!

Us ladies were in our element...

There was so much stuff to look at! I have been into stone lamps lately and the one on the right was beautiful, but too big for my place. Oh, and I had just got a new alabaster lamp two days before (hehe)...

{Cute eggplant painting}

{Vintage faux bamboo dining chairs}

{Amazing strands of beads...so many ideas for these!}

The only thing I bought (scratch that, I also bought vintage alphabets blocks to spell R-A-E-L) were two Dorothy Thorpe glass and silver trays. I wasn't familiar with Dorothy Thorpe but these pieces caught my eye with their textured glass bottoms and sparkly silver and gold patterns. The vendor explained who they were designed by, and I realized they had more of a history than I had originally thought. 

Dorothy Thorpe was a Los Angeles- based glassware designer in the 30s. She is well-known for painting silver on glassware - trays, bowls, glasses, etc. I really liked that these pieces had an LA design history and snapped up the large oval platter, and one of the square trays (not visible in this picture). I'm kicking myself for not buying the small bowl too! After some googling and browsing on eBay I discovered that my pieces were part of the Atomic Silver Explosion collection. I love that I learned so much from this flea market stroll!

{Dorothy Thorpe glassware, all silver except the far right which is gold}

I was worried about how these would blend in my living room and dining room, but they mix surprisingly well - once I decide where these are going I'll take a picture to share. And what a fun way to take some LA design history with me when I eventually move back to Canada!

What's your favorite flea market find?

I've Fallen Hard...

...for this coffee table!

I have never seen another table so gorgeous! The brass bamboo-styled frame is really to die for - I love the shape of the top and lower shelf and how the legs flare out ever so slightly. Why oh why is it way out of my price range?! This is the type of thing that makes me wish I could jump a few years ahead to when I will (though probably still only in my dreams!) be able to spend thousands on a table.

Anyway, I have been hunting for a new coffee table and have not been finding what I want, in my price range. I need some help! Here's another beauty from 1st Dibs...

I'm hoping for a brass, faux bamboo style table. Something like the first photo, or even a set of nesting tables like this image from Lonny (but brass!)...

Nesting tables would be a perfect choice because I can arrange them to fit my teeny apartment now, and they are easily manipulated to become a suitable size for my future house - three piece coffee table, two piece coffee table and end table, etc. I found the below version at Cyan Design, which is much brassier in person, but they look like they could be a bit tippy and so I am still not 100% sold...

While searching I found an old blog post by Mrs. Limestone (who I read everyday and love) about her search for a similar style table. First up, this French-inspired goodie from Drexel Heritage. Like it, but it's not bamboo...

I also like this Mrs. Limestone selection from Restoration Hardware. But again, not bamboo. And it doesn't seem to be available anymore...

Here's the Bassett table that Mrs. Limestone went with. I really like the color and lower shelf, but not bamboo either...

Mrs. Limestone's actual table. It looks great!

So, here's where I need some help. If you know where I can find my dream coffee table/nesting tables, or have any other brilliant ideas for me, I would LOVE to hear from you!